I first wrote about this in 2022, but this year it is even truer. I am a Democratic media consultant, and I find the amount of money being spent in today’s campaigns ludicrous.
A candidate doesn’t have to match their opponent’s spending dollar for dollar. They and their consultants just must be smarter.
Back in 1996, I testified before the United States Committee on Rules and Administration with this same message. Too many consultants, both Democratic and Republican, hire inexperienced “buyers” to spend millions of dollars. These young buyers fail to grasp what an “avail” or a Gross Rating Point is, let alone FCC law.
Strategic time-buying includes knowing the law and maximizing every dollar raised. Given that most consultants are paid on a percentage basis, there is no incentive to keep media expenditures down.
There’s a buying pattern emerging that concerns me — too much news and the same buys each week. Research has shown that voters who watch the news each night are less persuadable than those that don’t, and they pay less attention to political ads in news programming than in other shows.
More and more, it is the “undecideds” who are responsible for determining the outcome of an election. They need to be reached through other programming and other media.
Another reason that costs have continued to rise is that rather than strategic-targeting, consultants believe that the more gross rating points the better. I am sure every member of the U.S. Senate has heard these words. That’s why you are asked to spend so much of your time raising money.
But if your media buy is the same each week, are you reaching more voters or just the same ones – time and time again? Quality production with a succinct and clear message, coupled with a varied and targeted media plan (in conjunction with the campaign’s polling data) will have an impact.
No matter how much money is put into a media buy, if the message isn’t succinct, clear, and strategically targeted, the money for both the buy and the production has been utterly wasted.”
If you want to win and not spend millions, here’s where I think the focus needs to be:
- Citizens United must be overturned. Citizens United opened the floodgates of monies that are permeating our elections. Corporations aren’t citizens. They should not be allowed to interfere in our elections. The people who comprise those corporations can be involved as individuals.
- Make sure your consultants know FCC Political Advertising Law, including that non-candidate ads can, in fact, be taken off the air. The stations are liable if the ads are not true. They must have on file documentation that what is said or shown is accurate. If they do not, they should send the station(s) a Cease & Desist letter. Remember, only federal candidates are guaranteed air time.
- Don’t pay your media consultants a commission, work out a monthly fee or retainer. They should not spend money to make money.
- Make sure they collaborate with the pollster on targeting and messaging.
- Finally, put more money into production to ensure that your messages are succinct and clear.
Jan Crawford is the founder of Jan Crawford Communications.
